1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to a protective cover of the cargo area of a conventional pickup truck and more particularly to a light weight unitary copolymiric plastic removable rear canopy section attached to a permanently mounted front canopy section, both sections covering the cargo area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The dramatic increase in the popularity of a pickup truck as a transportation and recreational vehicle has contributed to the need for a canopy top which is more suited to the diverse needs of the vehicle operator than has here-to-fore been achieved by the universally available and commercially popular canopy tops. There are several prior art canopy tops that are commercially popular. Once such top is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,655 to Collins. Collins describes a canopy top that covers the entire cargo area which is unlike the present invention as the entire canopy in Collins is mounted permanently to the truck cargo area. Other relevant art is U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,601 to Robbins. Robbins mounts his cargo top enclosure permanently and does not have a quick release as in the present invention. Another patent of relevance is U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,916 to Gutgsell. This patent describes a cover which is hinged on top in the vicinity of the pickup truck cab. This is completely different from the present invention. Another prior art patent is U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,913 to Hunter. Hunter describes a partial cargo cover that has a roll up curtain for a rear window.
All of the above prior art does not allow the owner of a pick up truck to have a permanently attached front canopy section and a rear canopy section that is quickly detachable to allow loading of large or bulky cargo. In addition, none of the above prior art patents describe a unitary construction of the cargo canopy as is described in the present invention.